


Single Dad

by ScreamQueenBee (screamqueenbee)



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen, baby Colin, baby Lian, single dad Jason, single dad Roy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 21:38:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3625140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamqueenbee/pseuds/ScreamQueenBee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of ficlets where Jason is Colin's dad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jason came into the small apartment, dropping his bag and coat and keys just inside the door. He was tired, having worked for nearly twenty four hours when all he really wanted to get home and be with Colin.

“Mrs. Thompkins, I’m home!” He called out, smiling as the sound of tiny feet came running from the living room and his arms were suddenly full of ginger three year old.

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Small arms locked themselves around his neck and Jason found himself staring into the brown eyes of his son. “We went to the park and I gotta pet a doggy!”

“That’s so cool, Colin.” He couldn’t help but smile at the boy and their older neighbor, who came walking up to them from her place on the couch. “Yes,” Leslie said, shaking her head fondly at the two of them. “And ran through three mud puddles to get to him and lost one of his shoes. He’s almost as bad as you were, Jason.”

“Aww, he’s just a little rambunctious.” He leaned down and kissed his son’s cheek, leaving the child giggling and tightening his hold on his neck. “Thanks for watching him for me, Mrs. Thompkins. You’re a real life-saver.”

The old woman waved off the comment. “It’s nothing, Jason dear. I’m always happy to help out with him, you know that.” Jason nodded, reaching into his pocket for his wallet to pay her until she put her hand on his arm. “And you also know that I won’t accept any payment either.”

“But-”

“No arguments, Jason Todd. I’ll be back in a few days.” She waved at the small boy. “Bye, Colin!”

“Bye, Grammie Leslie!” The three year old smiled widely and waved back at her as she left, then turned his attention back to his dad. “How was work?”

“Long, kiddo.” Jason walked into the kitchen with his son, setting him on the kitchen counter so he could get the boy of sippy cup of milk and some cookies. “How was your day?”

Colin made a thinking sound, swinging his legs and hitting the cabinet with his heels. “It was fun. Grammie Leslie knows a lot of games and stuff and we played Doctor and Companion. Papa Alfie called too.”

“And did he say what he wanted?” Jason handed Colin the milk and cookies, sneaking one from the pack for himself before putting them back on top of the fridge.

“He wants us over for supper one night.” He licked the filling out of his oreos and put the cookie part back on the plate. “Can we?”

Jason inwardly sighed, Alfred was the only person who knew where he was and that Colin even existed. “We’ll see, kiddo. It’s a long trip to Bristol and we’d have to stay the night…”

“Grammie Leslie says you’re just scared of your family.” The boy interrupted around his sippy cup, to which Jason rolled his eyes.

“Grammie Leslie says a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean they’re true.” He picked Colin up and took him into the living room, hiding a yawn as he did so. “Did you have your nap?”

He nodded, curling up in his arms and tucking his head under his dad’s chin. “Grammie Leslie told Papa Alfie that we’d be there for dinner on Sunday…”

Jason closed his eyes and cursed.  “Of course she did.”

“So, can we go?” Colin asked, both sleepiness and hopefulness evident in his voice. “Please?”

Sighing, Jason knew he was beat. Between a guilt trip from Leslie, a disappointed phone with Alfred, and Colin’s puppy dog eyes, there was no way he could say no.

“Yeah, I guess so.”


	2. Bed Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bedtime for the Todd Boys

"C’mon, Colin!" Jason huffed, just a little tired of chasing his son around living room and kitchen. "We’ve got a big day tomorrow and you were supposed to be in bed an hour and a half ago."

"But I haven’ said night-night to everythin’ yet!" Colin whined as he flitted from the couch to the Dad chair and back, saying "Night-night!" in his playful little voice.

 

Jason smiled a little at the answer and scooped up the three year old as he bolted past him. “I think the tub and fridge won’t mind if you don’t say night-night just this once.” He tried to reason with the squirming ginger in his arms, only to receive a very Bat-like look from his son, and sighed in mild frustration when it didn’t work. “Okay, okay. Who else do you have left?”

Colin stopped wiggling around and smirked, knowing he’d been caught. “Just you and Rory.”

"We have a long drive tomorrow, kiddo. I don’t want you to be cranky when we get to Bristol."

Colin buried his face in his father’s neck and stifled a yawn.

"You’re gonna go to bed now. You can tell Rory and me night-night when you get tucked."

"Okay, Daddy."

Colin had the only bedroom in the apartment, decorated with hi-res photos from the Hubble Telescope and models of the Solar System because Colin, at three years old, was very into space. Jason flipped on the light and Colin leapt from his arms and into bed, grabbing for Rory the Bear who lived on Colin’s nightstand.

"I thought I asked you not to jump like that anymore." Jason admonished gently, sitting next to him and combing down the red hair.

"Sorry…"

" ‘S alright, just try not to do it again." He pulled back the covers and waited for the kid to climb under. "Need a story or do you want to just listen to the radio?"

Colin bounced on the squeaky mattress, chanting  _storystorystory!_ and Jason smiled a little at the enthusiasm.

All, Colin, how are you still not tired?” 

"Because I had double dessert tonight!"

"Ah," Jason nodded in understanding, "Right, let’s try to calm that down a little while I tell this story. Now, what do you want to hear?"

Colin thought on it for a minute, tiny fingers running through the bear’s patchy fur. “I want the Batman story!”

Jason stalled. “You sure you want one of those?”

There was a vigorous nod from the boy who’d snuggled down into the covers until only his head and the tops of Rory’s ears were visible.

"Okay…" Jason settled into the other side of bed and put an arm around him. "Where did we leave off?"

"The Robins!" 

Jason nodded and Colin curled up close against his side.

"Right, the first Robin came to the Batman after his parents were killed by a very bad man named Tony Zucco…"

Twenty minutes later, Colin was asleep in Jason’s lap and Jason was questioning whether going back to Gotham was a good idea after all.


	3. Fill Your Shoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey! It's the Harpers

Summer rain streaked the windows of the Harper home and puddles gathered sporadically on their front lawns

"Hey, Dart! If you’re going outside, you better put rain boots and your coat on!" Roy called out from the kitchen. Upstairs, he could hear his daughter stomping through the hall and down the stairs, jumping from the second to last step just like she knew she wasn’t supposed to do.

 

He walked into the front hall where Lian was standing her yellow raincoat and the black boots he wore with his Arsenal costume. He was surprised she’d even gotten down the staircase in them, considering the came up way past her scabby little knees.

"Ready, daddy!" She beamed brightly, waddling over to grab her duck umbrella from its place beside the door.

"How did you even get those out of my closet, Dart? They weigh, like, twice as much as you do."

If it was possible, his daughter’s smile got even brighter and more charming. "Magic." She said as if it explained everything. "You can wear mine if you want."

Roy laugh and knelt down, pulling up her hood and tucking her braids in so they didn’t get wet in the rain. “I don’t think I’ll fit in yours, honey.”

Lian scrunched up her face at the thought and shook her head. “I don’t think so either. Can we go out now? We’re going to miss the rain.”

"Are you really going to wear my boots?" She gave him a look that she definitely inherited from her mother and Roy put his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright. I was just making sure.” He walked over and opened the door for her.

"Hey, Daddy! Look!" Roy turned to see Lian hold up her umbrella like he’d taught her how to hold a bow, her free hand pulled back by her mouth like she was ready to shoot an arrow at him. "I’m you!"

He didn’t say anything for a moment, a little speechless at the sight for a reason he really couldn’t describe. It took him a second to say “Yeah. Yeah, you are.” before she jumped out of the position and ran out the door to play in the rain.


	4. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning of the Gotham trip isn't easy for Colin and Jason.

Colin was adorably grumpy when he woke up. Red hair all sleep-tousled, pillowed lines on his fat cheeks, and mouth formed into his persistent pout. This morning was no different, he came out slapping his feet against the floor and a strangle-hold on Rory the Bear, then sat at the coffee table in a huff.

Jason noticed it all the way from the kitchen as he fixed the boy’s breakfast and brought it out to him.

 

"What’s up, storm cloud?" He asked with a smile, setting the cereal and orange juice in front of him and sitting down on the other side of the table with toast and coffee for himself.

"Don’ wanna go to Gotham, Daddy." Half the words were muffled, but Jason got the general idea. It made him pull his eyebrows together in confusion and moved to the other side of the table, pulling the smaller body into his lap.

"Why not? Last night you were all excited you could barely sleep." Jason asked softly, combing gentle fingers through tangled red hair. He burrowed closer to his father, his tiny hands gripping the neck of Jason’s sweatshirt. The older man knew the tactic well, stall or stalemate a direct question by being adorable. Normally, it worked. Colin charmed his father just like he charmed everyone else, but- "Colin, c’mon. Talk to me, buddy."

Colin mumbled into his father’s shoulder, and Jason smiled a little.

"Well, that’s something. I think I could hear some words in that jumble."

Colin pushed away from his chest a little, a serious look settled on his round little face. “What if they don’t like me?” His bottom lip trembled as the words tumbled out. “They don’t know me… Dad, I’m scared.”

_Dad, I’m scared._

The words brought back a flood of moments where Jason had thought exactly the same thing and the one time he actually said it out loud but no one heard him.

He hugged his son a little tighter, wondering if he felt a similar aching in his chest.

"You don’t need to be scared. The family will love you, just as I do." He hoped the words were firm enough to assure Colin, he didn’t want his kid to be afraid of anyone, especially not family. "You have nothing to worry about. Trust me."

"… you’re scared too." Colin said quietly, like he thought he’d get in trouble for voicing it.

Jason didn’t speak for a moment, unsure of how to respond, before nodding slightly.

"Yes, I am. But for a completely different reason." 

"The same reason you have a gun?"

He had reached for his coffee, just for something to do with his shaking free hand. The gun was supposed to be a secret from Colin, and Jason was a little surprised that he knew about it. Then again, Colin was pretty intuitive for a three year old. He sighed and nodded. “Yeah, buddy.”

Jason held his son closer and Colin nestled himself more securely in his father’s arms. They stayed there, still and silent, for several minutes before Colin reached for his sippy cup.

"Do you still want to go?" Jason took a long drink of coffee and waited for the boy’s answer.

"Yes, we promised."


End file.
